It’s easy to see why London is a world-famous city. Not only is it the capital of the UK, but it is also home to great museums, historical attractions, and a globally renowned food and drink scene.

Whether you go to London to visit the Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum, the Tower of London, Big Ben, Leicester Square, or the London Eye, you’ll always notice that there are plenty of bars, cafes, restaurants and a bistro or two that line the bustling streets.

It’s easy to see why London has such a strong food culture as well. London is a melting pot of cultures and languages, and this diversity is reflected in the city’s food. You can just as easily find a classic roast dinner, with roast beef, potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings, as you can sushi, seafood, pizza, curry, pie, steak and other more exotic cuisines.

It may well be because of this that London is so highly rated for fine dining as well. The capital is home to 71 Michelin-starred restaurants, including Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which has held three Michelin-stars since 2001.

Equally, there are a vast number of one-star restaurants throughout the city, such as Barrafina, Five Fields, and Hakkasan. Each of these restaurants brings its own take on fine dining and delights guests with gourmet food and delicious tasting menus.

So whether you live in London, or are visiting the city, there is always something new you can learn on your food journey. Learning to cook can be hard. That’s why Superprof has outlined some of the capital’s cooking classes below, and you can always learn from a Superprof tutor as well if you’re looking for inspiration for your next recipe.

Cooking Classes in London

London is world-famous for its fine dining, so it makes sense that there are a number of cooking classes out there that let you learn from some of the best chefs around. We outline some of the best classes where you can work with top chefs below.

Leiths

Leiths School of Food and Wine is a prestigiouscookery school that helps everyone from novices to seasoned professionals hone their food knowledge.

They offer a range of courses to suit all skill levels, from beginner to expert. If you just want to learn the basics, Leiths offers a range of cookery classes that help home cooks, such as informative food nutrition courses, beginners’ workshops, veganclasses and patisserie courses.

However, if you are a more experienced cook, passionate about food, or would like to train to become a professional or head chef, then Leiths culinary school offers cookery courses that will help you realise your passion and food dreams.

Courses vary in length. Some short courses run over a single day or afternoon and others run for days. Whatever the length, a masterclass at Leiths will ensure that you take away valuable new skills in the kitchen that you can show off at your next dinner party!

Giancarlo Caldesi

Giancarlo’s courses understandably focus on Italian fare. Based in Marylebone, the school offers a range of classes, including pasta for novices, how to create a traditional Neapolitan pizza, an introduction to fish, and dessert-making, which is perfect for fans of baked goods and cakes!

There are also courses covering gluten-free cooking, so there is a range of classes for everyone.

There’s also some choice when it comes to when you want to do the class. Although evening classes are offered, you can also attend day or weekend classes, so you can choose a class that fits around your schedule.

The Jamie Oliver Cooking School

Jamie Oliver has become a household name, and it’s easy to see why. With his focus on tasty, healthy, and affordable food, his recipes are really in demand.

The Jamie Oliver Cooking School operates from Shepard’s Bush in west London and offers a range of classes that will please any foodie. There is, naturally, a focus on Italian courses given Jamie’s love of Italian cuisine, but there are other courses to try as well if you don’t want to make pasta.

Notable examples include a course around Mexican street food, in which you learn to make hand-pressed corn tortillas. There are also courses around Vietnamese street food, how to make your own Gyoza, and bread making, so there really is something for every taste!

Affordable Cooking Lessons in London

Although it would be great to learn how to cook pasta, risotto or gnocchi from an established cookery school such as Jamie Oliver’s, it can sometimes be expensive to go on such courses. Luckily, learning how to cook a new recipe or mastering a cooking technique does not have to be expensive.

There are lots of cooking classes throughout London that offer cooking advice from an expert for amounts that won’t break the bank. So whether you’re a novice who wants to learn to cook from scratch or are looking to add something to your home cookbook, there’s a course out there that will suit your tastes and your budget.

In fact, cheap courses have appeared just as quickly as London’s vibrant street food scene. Established markets, such as Borough Market, continue to showcase a variety of vendors from around the world, from German sausages to pad thai and the classic fish and chips.

There are also new markets popping up regularly, and you can find entertaining and authentic street food events across the capital, from Canada Water to Brixton and Camden.

For example, Street Feast turns disused spaces into a food and drink haven, and has events at venues across east London. The Urban Food Fest also hosts weekly street food vendors in Shoreditch.

If you’d prefer to visit somewhere more central, the Southbank Centre Market sees vendors serve up dishes from across the globe every weekend.

Private Cooking Classes in London

The above courses are all aimed at groups, but what if you’re looking for something a bit more personal? Then learning to cook in a private cooking class may be the answer. There are a number of benefits to booking an instructor for a private cookery class, such as:

You can relax and have a one-on-one lesson with an expert;

You can increase your confidence in the kitchen with no judgement;

You can limit class sizes to just yourself and your friends; and

You can ask the tutor for tips and advice that would directly help you.

Superprof has a range of tutors that would be happy to arrange a private cooking class for you and your friends. What’s more, a private cooking class with a Superprof tutor is a great idea if you have a specific occasion in mind. For example, a private cooking workshop would be great if you want to celebrate with a stunning hen party!

Find A Cooking Class in London

London is a busy city. With a population of around 8.7 million, there are plenty of cooking tutors out there that can help you with your food ambitions. Superprof, for example, has a number of cooking tutors who are ready to share their cooking expertise and favourite tips with you.

A cooking class in London is also a fun activity to do if you either live in London or you’re only staying for a few days. Not only can cooking workshops help you meet new people, but you can also experiment with new recipes in exciting locations. For example, you could learn more about vegetarian cooking or new cooking methods.

Imagine finishing a fabulous cooking course in central London, and then heading out for a night in Soho – what could be better!

Cooking tutors, such as those listed on Superprof, can help these dreams become a reality in a relaxed setting.

You can learn to cook a range of dishes in London. (Source: Steven Depolo via Flickr)

Online Cooking Lessons

Of course, there’s always the option to learn something new about food from the comfort of your own home. If you’d like to learn some new knife skills or learn how to prepare a new pasta dish, then you can just as easily sign up for an online course and learn that way.

Superprof, for example, has a wide range of tutors that can share their expertise with you in an online area, and provide you with a one-on-one learning environment so that all your questions can be answered.

Overall, London is a beautiful city, with plenty to see and do. This also applies to London’s myriad bars, bistros, and restaurants. You can enjoy so many cuisines in the capital, from Indian and Indonesian to French and Spanish, that it can be hard to keep track, and Londoners’ love of food has seeped into the quality of cooking classes that the city offers.

Whether you’re a novice cook looking to learn a simple pasta dish, or an expert wanting to learn more about butchering, there’s a class that you can take in London to teach you better cooking techniques and make you a better cook.

All price points are also considered, so whether you can afford to splurge or would rather have a more budget-friendly class, you’ll be able to find something to suit you.

So if you’re alone, or looking to have a fun day out with friends, a cooking course might be just the thing you were looking for. Superprof has a number of tutors that are happy to help take your cooking to the next level.